Last Thursday I blogged about how this morning the OCTA Board Directors would be considering a recommendation that they endorse SB 974, which would impose a new $30 tax on incoming cargo containers. You can see that post for more details.
I'm told the Board of Directors sent it back to the Legislative and Government Affairs Committee at the behest of Pat Bates, who chairs that committee. Bates interrupted the staff report on SB 974 to voice that opinion. The matter actually came before the Leg Committee in the spring, and the committee vote NOT to support SB 974.
Director (and Costa Mesa Mayor) Allan Mansoor said the OCTA Directors ought to oppose the tax, while fellow Director (Tustin Mayor Pro Tem) Jerry Amante questioned the legality of the tax (or fee, as its proponents call it). Director (and Anaheim Mayor) Curt Pringle and Director (and Santa Ana Mayor) Miguel Pulido expressed support for the tax/fee (on the condition of certain amendments being accepted), but agreed to sending it back to Pat Bates' committee.
OCTA staff would like to obtain a Board of Directors endorsement of this new cargo container tax, but they're obviously running into opposition from the most conservative OCTA Board we've had in many years.
The OCTA staff should go look at the votes on this tax increase as it has gone through the legislature. In the State Senate, on the final vote, it failed to get the votes of 14 of the 15 Republicans in the Senate (oddly, Bob Margett supported this tax?), and in its first policy committee vote, every Republican opposed the bill (included OCTA "alumnus" Mike Duvall).
The last thing we need, especially after authorizing BILLIONS IN BORROWING for building roads, is a tax on imports (that is then passed along to we the consumers) for more of the same.
Pat Bates was right to kick this back.
Posted by: Jon Fleischman | August 14, 2007 at 06:17 AM